


Cherish, Respect, Shelter, Defend

by Mareel



Series: Refuge [8]
Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Archer/Reed, Drabble, Enterprise, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-05
Updated: 2009-11-05
Packaged: 2017-10-02 13:38:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mareel/pseuds/Mareel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It should have been me."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cherish, Respect, Shelter, Defend

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of my Season 3 Archer/Reed series (Refuge) and refers to earlier stories in the series, including the vows the two men exchanged before leaving Earth for the Expanse (see "Memory and Promises"). I have a feeling that there is a great deal about the episode "Zero Hour" that I need to explore. This is my first, but certainly not only, take on it, and is Malcolm giving voice to some of his thoughts.
> 
>  
> 
>   
> _Archived to Reed's Armory on 07/08/2004_  
> 

_ **cherish, respect, shelter, defend** _

We made four vows to one another  
when we chose to wed, to join our lives.

All have been tested.

There were days I didn't like him,  
but I loved him...

times I couldn't accept the Captain's decisions, but never lost respect for the struggling man under the uniform...

nights when I thought he would spurn the refuge I offered, but still he found his way to my arms.

I thought the fourth would be the easy one... How could I not protect him, defend him with my life?

I failed to keep that fourth vow.  
And now he's dead.

~the end~


End file.
